*****Really cool song, it's a bit different for Katy whilst still being the fun pop you'd come to expect from her - I really love the way this song moves and that's probably the Sia influences and writing in this. Expect this to be a big hit!!

******This is the correct accreditation. Also this is a great song. It's a bit derivative, definitely, but I think it's a very strong lead single and one that I instantly love. This should be big.

I'm sad about how this performed worldwide. It's great to see all the top ten peaks but it's a bit of a disappointment after her previous lead singles. Even though I've listened to this hundreds of times, it's still an enjoyable listen and one with no down bits. I do hope she can find a big hit on the forthcoming album but I don't think the chart performance for this bodes well for the album itself.

***Well it's a lot easier to endure this than abysmal Roar, I'll give it that. The production is quite nice, the chorus is catchy and the featured artist eclipses Katy, but somehow the lyrics, as questionable as they are, don't fit well with the tempo of the track and it sounds clumsy altogether. I'm sure it just takes time to adjust, but it's average until then.

****There's more to it lyrically than expected but that's about where the interest ends for me. Verses are fine but the chorus certainly isn't her best and not one I would not want to hear repeatedly. Ultimately I don't dislike this but it really sounds like an ill-conceived female-sung attempt of "I Feel It Coming".

****Probably her best in a while. While I'm coming around to the chorus now, the verses are still stronger. It's mainly the way she delivers the word "rhythm" that I find offputting, and since it's repeated so much, it becomes a small problem. It sounds fine the last time at the very end of the song though.

*****Katy Perry was one of many celebrity stalwarts on Hillary Clinton's 2016 US Presidential Election Campaign. Frequently speaking at events and at rallies, it is pretty obvious what Katy's political stance would be for this election, especially given Trump's rhetoric against women's rights.

This song, having been released 3 months following the US Election 2016 result feels like Katy's personal response to the entire event. Not having the outcome she would have liked and having what she would see as the worst possible outcome as Donald Trump as US President would have been socially disastrous, difficult and a painful time for Perry (as well as the rest of Clinton's voters).

The lyrics of "Chained To The Rhythm" encourage a call to change. A call to 'break the cycle' and seek a new direction in life. Whether this be personal change, or change in political attitudes, remains to be up for interpretation; this could mean any sort of change really. While this may seem to be a plead for change amongst the listeners of this song, it is just as much a plead for herself. This importantly reflects Perry as she muses on the election outcome and attempts to reconcile this with her concience.

While yes, the production is pretty generic and the rhythm and flow of a few sentences feel forced and awkward, the outcome is a fresh, well-produced and clean pop song with an interesting message. And I applaud Katy Perry for being the most genuine in her songwriting since "Wide Awake."

******The song is catchy, which matches the lyrics. Very ironic how many ppl listen to the song without listening to the lyrics. Something different from what most artists sing about, nice critic about our society. It can be applied to a lot of different situations in our life.

****What I've learnt in recent years is that by some cosmic divination, I now have a lot more respect for Katy Perry than most. In recent times, we've seen the charts becoming predominantly male, with a lot of thanks to streaming which relative to downloads, leans more towards hip hop & dance, which are predominantly male. This means that some chains have to be cut loose, and it hasn't been a good time for most of the female pop stars who have been dominating the charts in recent years prior.

Perhaps it signals a changing of the guard, but for someone like Katy Perry, whose last album netted two of the biggest hits of 2013/2014, it just feels premature. I feel like her lacking success comes down to a lot of ill will. After years upon years of dominance, people just really want to see Katy Perry fail. I was once like this myself, taking immense pride whenever one of her singles fell short of what it seemed to be aiming for.

So now what seems to happen is that every time she puts out a new single, it feels like there's a rush to solidify the concensus as 'this is awful, this is a total failure', and then when I hear it myself I just can't see it myself. "Chained To The Rhythm" admittedly paints a target on its back with its message akin to 'wake up sheeple', and just like every time a woman voices an opinion, you'll get a choir of 'actually' dudes.

The argument I particularly loathe is one that points out that Katy's previous music and its low stakes means that this is an out of character move, and there's a condescending tone of 'aww, she thinks she's woke now'. Misogyny at the work preventing her from being taken seriously, it's hardly better than 'get back in the kitchen' and similar ilk. Even if she has had a sudden change of stance, who cares? Do you honestly believe everything you did 4 years ago? If so, maybe you're the one who needs some self-analysis.

But honestly I still don't see why this is ever brandished as awful outside of ill will. As a pop song it's catchy, upbeat, and refreshingly listenable on repeat listens. I suppose this could reflect my different opinion as someone who is not typically a fan of her music, but this doesn't scream of re-branded marketing towards my kind in the same way as say, Rihanna. I can't see this as any more egregious as "Dark Horse" or "E.T." and those are among her biggest hits.